To my shame I have just discovered this section of C&Z, and what a find!

We are visiting Australia from mid Feb for 3 weeks this year. By 'we' I mean myself and wife, along with our 18 month old son. We start in Perth, then go across to Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney.
We have been to Australia before, but never out west.

There is some great info on here about Adelaide food, and we have a local deli owner here in Northern Ireland who is originally from Melbourne. She is giving us some tips for that part. (thanks Kath!).

I would really like some suggestions for any aspect of the trip, but especially Western Australia. We have no fixed itinerary beyond 8 days in WA. There appears to be great food/wine to be had, but I am struggling with specifics.
Any suggested places for food, coffee, pasties, breakfast.

I know this post is vague, but we are flexible, and if there is somewhere really great - we will go!
On our last trip I drove through the night to get pancakes in Adelaide!
Thanks

Last edited by time3200 on Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:57 am; edited 1 time in total

Joined: 29 Sep 2004Posts: 1196Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:49 pm Post subject:

G'day time3200

Where in Adelaide did you get those pancakes on your last trip?

Barbara is from Margaret River and I'm sure she will have some great suggestions for you, but in the meantime you might like to take a look at her
lovely blog which has lots of photos of her recent trip home.

If you need any more Adelaide suggestions, emilyj and I will do our best.

Have a great trip!_________________Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

Joined: 29 Sep 2004Posts: 1196Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:16 pm Post subject:

Time, I am assuming you will be staying in or near the city, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Central Market is a must-visit (open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) and breakfast or lunch at The Big Table near the Gouger St entrance is always good, just ask Madame Shawshank. There is also a supermarket there, so that's your best inner city option for self-catering.

Then on Sunday mornings there's the Farmer's Market at the Adelaide Showgrounds, just south of the city. Loads of fresh produce, baked goods, specialty goods like olive oils. meats, flowers, all that good stuff.

The east end of Rundle Street has lots of cafes which are great for breakfast or lunch, or dinner. And take a tram ride from Victoria Square in the city to Glenelg for lunch, plenty of good places to choose from.

I'll think some more and add to my suggestions._________________Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

I second Judy's suggestion of the Central Market- it is good just for the atmosphere. There are a lot of informal dining options along Gouger St. T-Chow or Mandarin house are good for Chinese but Sat. night are so busy, you are lucky to get in the door.

Again I second Judy in suggesting Rundle St. for informal dining- I would recommend Eros Cafe is quite good for Greek- the dolmathes are particularly nice.

I don't go out for breakfast much anymore but I used to go to the Store on Melbourne St. in North Adelaide on special occasions and it was usually nice. I have also heard that Citrus in Hutt St. is nice (although I haven't been there for years). East Terrace continental- or E.T.C for short on East Terrace (duh!) in the City is nice for breakfast too.

The Queen of Tarts on Hutt st. has nice cakes and sweet things in general.

I had two other suggestions but their names have escaped me. I will report back when I remember

On the beachfront/ Western suburbs

Although I used to live at the beach, I never really ate out much there but I have a couple of suggestions:

The Thai resteraunt in Henley Beach is quite nice- Thai Orchid- it may be a bit 'formal' but they have takeaway.

I have sent this by PM to Time3200 but decided to share it in case others were interested.

In the time you have I would concentrate on Margaret River and the Swan Valley area near Perth. Perth City itself is fairly ordinary. If you go into the city the King Street area is best for eating (Etro) I haven't been to Fremantle in a few years so can't comment on its ambience. There is an area called Northbridge and I haven't been. It is popular in the evenings but there have been problems with hooligans.

Beaufort St is an up and coming area and where I had lunch at Veritas and next door for coffee the Beaufort St Merchant.

From the bottam of town you can take the ferry across to South Perth and there is the Windsor Hotel for a beer and several cafe's looking out over the water. The zoo is nearby if that interests you.

I'm assuming you will have a rental car. I would suggest it.

Margaret River is a 3 hour drive from Perth and I would suggest you take the coast road via Mandurah. You can bypass Mandurah but it is worth a stop at least in one direction for lunch. There are three areas - the main shopping area, the boardwalk area where we ate at the Boatshed, and the new Marina area (not worth it in my opinion).

By pass Bunbury, although if you want a swim it is worth a visit. I like the area in front of the surf club if the waves aren't too high, or there is an area on the other side where families with little ones go as it is calmer water. Vat 2, on the water and one of the better cafes, has a childrens play area alongside.

Margaret River, Dunsborough, Busselton, Yallingup, Cowaramup, Willyabrup are all within easy driving of each other. Base yourself in Busselton or Margaret River and do day trips. There will be a greater choice of accommodation in Busselton. Or you could do a loop starting in Busselton and along the Caves Road to Margaret River and back along Bussel Highway.

Wine Tours- I've done a Bushtucker Tour but wasn't overly happy with it. There is a crowd called Wine For Dudes which includes visits to Hayshed Hill and Howard Park on certain days. Not sure about taking a toddler along though. http://www.winefordudes.com/
Also check out http://www.wildwoodvalley.com.au/ for accommodation and cooking demos.
Kate Lamont runs cooking classes and has one in the area 18th Feb.
http://www.lamonts.com.au

Other things in the region Augusta Lighthouse, Jewell Caves - lots of steps and you will probably end up carrying the toddler ! Also the Eagle Park is an interesting experience and something for the toddler. http://www.eaglesheritage.com.au/

The Underwater Observatory on Busselton jetty is really worth it. I've just posted pictures on my blog. Your toddler will appreciate it more than the lighthouse I think.

Perth - Base yourself around Subiaco which will be handy for walks in Kings Park, has the Brew-ha (see my post), good shopping and cafes and the Subi Hotel when you need a beer. From here you can drive out Stirling Highway to Napolean Street shopping area which has the Boatshed Grocery Store. Pick up picnic supplies and drive onto Cottosloe Beach for lunch by the water. From here you can continue on to Fremantle and then loop back Canning Highway into Perth and up Hay Street into Subiaco.

A couple of things to be aware of. Busselton Beach is beautiful but has stingers which are harmless but can be a little painful if you get stung. The flies - makes eating outside unpleasant so carry a can of Aerogard.